Enjoy this Book? Share it...

BUY ONLINE

Description

Why All Writers Need The Writer's Guide To The Courtroom

Maybe you have a novel, story, screenplay, or other writing project that has
a character involved with the court system. Or you're a journalist writing a
story about a court case. (Some law students and new lawyers have said they
found it useful too, but we can't vouch for its exam-worthiness).

When you write, sometimes you don't know where your mind will take you.
Maybe there's a character in your head but you haven't decided what to do with
them. Or you have a plot that's stuck. The law is a great device for writers.
It can add an obstacle, a sexy twist, or a fun character to your story.

The law can also accidentally drift into your plot. Everything your
characters touch during their day has something to do with the law. They wake
up. Their cereal box has legal requirements about how contents are listed and
what claims it can make.

They drive to work in a car that doesn't explode when hit from behind
because of civil lawyers. They go to work and have to be paid wages and can't
be subjected to discrimination.

When they make a purchase, the laws say what businesses have to disclose,
what advertisements can say. Doctors have to treat them within acceptable
practices or face a suit. Companies handling hazardous materials must dispose
of them in particular ways.

When they get a divorce, your characters have to do it through the civil
justice system. If a character dies, their will has to go through probate.

The claims characters can make in the law are almost infinite. Anything that
can go wrong for them can end up in court. Whether in an accident, the
workplace, a business, or in a relationship, the law can offer a slight plot
twist or an entire plot. And if you're a journalist, you probably have legal
issues in your stories regularly.

The purpose of The Writer's Guide to the Courtroom is to touch on
some of the highlights, to give you a starting point for your research or just
trigger an idea for your story. This book is for every writer who doesn't have
a law degree, and even for those lawyer/writers who are writing outside their
area of practice.

Most lawyers can't read or watch stories about law because the factual
errors are too frustrating. Gross misunderstanding of how the justice system
works can take away from even the best plot. There are over 1.1 million lawyers
in the United States,
so alienating them with mistakes that are easily corrected can affect your
sales and ratings.

Ms. Ballman asked some lawyers and judges, including TV's Judge Alex and bestselling
author Brad Meltzer what really bugged them about how the civil justice system
is portrayed in books and screenplays, and to talk about which ones really got
it right. Their responses are quoted throughout this book to help you see the
ways in which "getting it wrong" can alienate readers/viewers,
whereas "getting it right" can enhance the story for your audience.

Inside The Writer’s Guide to the Courtroom

Here's just some of what you'll find to help inspire you and to help your
characters navigate the civil justice system:

Chapter 1: The Characters Suggestions of courtroom characters you
might use in your story, like bailiffs, court reporters, paralegals, judicial
assistants, runners/messengers, process servers, notaries, and of course,
lawyers. Find out about their training, job duties, and maybe, just maybe, what
kinds of misdeeds they might have witnessed.

Chapter 2: Settings Where is your story set? Find out what a real
legal setting looks like. Whether a law office, government building, mediator's
office or court chambers, your story will feel more real if you choose your
setting well.

Chapter 3: Types of Lawyers Here's where to figure out what kind of
lawyer you need in your story. Personality types, motivations, and how to use
attorneys practicing in areas you might not ever have thought of. From
admiralty to worker's compensation, there's a lawyer type just right for your
story.

Chapter 4: Legal Ethics Yes, they exist. Don't have your lawyer
characters doing something obviously unethical without showing some
consequences. Find out what your characters are supposed to be doing,
and what happens if they get caught.

Chapter 5: How Law Firms Run Who is in charge at a big firm? What's
the difference between a senior and a junior partner? How do law firms bill
their clients? What differences are there between the way a big firm and a solo
practitioner prepare for trial? What do lawyers have to learn to live without
when they form a midsize firm?

Chapter 6: Pre-Suit What happens in an initial meeting with the
client? What kinds of fee arrangements might your character make? What steps
might lawyers take before suit is even filed?

Chapter 7: The Complaint What's in the document that begins a
lawsuit? How does it get to the defendant? Where can a lawsuit be filed? Who
can sue and be sued?

Chapter 8: Responses to the Complaint What will the defendant do once
they receive the complaint, other than curse a lot?

Chapter 9: The Authorities How do lawyers find out what the law is?

LOADS OF INFORMATION ON THE BASICS OF THE MAJOR TYPES OF LAW AND HOW
YOU MIGHT USE THEM IN YOUR STORY

Chapter 17: Discovery How the lawyers get information. Find out how a
deposition might be a better setting for your story than a trial, and how
lawyers really get all those exhibits they use.

Chapter 18:

Alternate
Dispute Resolution
Ways your story could get a final resolution without a judge.
Where can your character throw a fit without going to jail? Find out about
arbitration, mediation, collaborative law and private judging

Chapter 19: Trial Preparation What do lawyers have to do before they
even walk into the courtroom on trial day? Jury instructions, verdict forms,
exhibit and witness lists, subpoenas, and motions that might end the case or
limit evidence

Chapter 21: The Trial The way the trial in your story should happen,
from jury selection to motions to the reading of the verdict.

Chapter 22: Post-judgment Just because your character won the trial,
doesn't mean your story has to end. Motions, appeals, writs and collection.

The Story Behind This Book

My goal is to keep writers who write novels, screenplays or stories where someone encounters the law from turning off the 1.1 million lawyers who are also readers, to give you ideas, and to help you get your story right.

Related Links

If you're an author or publisher, you've come to the right place. BookBuzzr provides one of the most comprehensive set of book-marketing technologies and services in the world. We're constantly adding new features in a race with ourselves to build technologies that will help your books fly out of book-stores.